20 Many years later, when it pleased God, the Persian king sent Nehemiah back to Jerusalem. Nehemiah then told some descendants of those priests to find the hidden fire. But after returning, they told us, “There is nothing in the cistern except an oily liquid.”Nehemiah told them to dip out some of the liquid and bring it to him.
21 Then, after the sacrifice was ready, Nehemiah ordered the priests to sprinkle the liquid over the offerings and the firewood,
22 and they did. A little while later, the sun came out from behind the clouds. Then the firewood and offerings suddenly burst into flames, as everyone stared in amazement.
23 While the offerings were being burned, a priest named Jonathan began praying. Nehemiah, the other priests, and the rest of the people also joined in the prayer
24 that went something like this:“Our Lord and our God, you created everything. You are powerful and fearsome, but faithful and merciful. You alone are kind, and only you are king.
25 No one else is fair and gives us everything we need; no one else is all-powerful and lives forever.“Long ago, you chose our ancestors to be your holy people, and since then you have rescued our nation from every danger.
26 “Please accept our sacrifice that we are offering for everyone in Israel, your chosen nation. Protect us from danger and make us holy.